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Montana-class
The Montana-class battlecruiser is the Earth Federation's primary battlecruiser line in Mobile Suit Gundam Alpha. 'Appearance' Looks like the Ra Cailum-class battleship from Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. Not much difference between the original and current design, aside from the change in color scheme to standard grey and dark blue. 'Technology & Combat Characteristics' As a battlecruiser, the Montana-class was traditionally armed with eight beam cannons (two per turret), two dozen beam phalanx, and twenty-four missile launchers. For this, Montanas were a force to be reckoned with for most other classes, even those of Zeon origin. And as a new standard per capital ships, these battlecruisers were equipped with mobile suit hangars and catapult decks, with enough room to hold and launch up to twelve mobile suits (one squadron). While they were not as effective as dedicated carriers in the deployment of their mobile suits, these battlecruisers could still be used as a command ship for mobile suits if need be, although they were far better suited as fleet flagships. And finally, the Montana also has eight high-grade Apollo Engines, which grants the battlecruiser exponential speed for its type. As a result, the Montana was more equivalent to the "fast battleships" of Earth's later Anno Domini era as opposed to traditional battlecruisers, combining heavy firepower with sheer mobility. From this, the Montana also served as a model for the Federation's Chicago-class cruiser, which were constructed around the same time as the Montana-class. 'Armaments' *'Beam Cannon' :Main armament. As one can see from the name, these cannons are more powerful than standard beam weapons, such that they hold enough destructive force to obliterate a cruiser in a single barrage. Alongside, that same power also allows them to be used against targets well beyond visual range. However, this is offset by their slower rate of fire, which makes them highly ineffective in the point defense role. *'Beam Phalanx' :Secondary armament. While far less powerful than beam cannons, these smaller guns have a greater rate of fire, making them especially suited for point defense against enemy mobile suits, missiles and other small craft, as well as against other warships at close-ranges. The Montana-class in particular carriers twenty-four of these around its hull. *'Missile Launcher' :Secondary armament. The Montana-class carries twenty-four missile tubes in its bow, allowing it to enact full on missile barrages against enemy fleets. As well, these tubes can hold and launch a wide number of missile types, from standard high explosive weapons to beam diffusion warheads to even nuclear missiles. Its targeting system is also particularly advanced, such that very few unit types are able to evade a lock on. 'System Features' *'Warp Drive' :The Montana-class carries warp drive, allowing it to travel along interstellar routes in only a matter of days' time. This also goes toward marking the Montana as a "fast battleship" type, as they are capable of responding to enemy incursions faster than most other Federation ships. 'History' Earth's main battlecruiser. Created as a replacement for the aging Virginia-class battlecruiser, the Montana-class was a series of heavily armed and armored ships, all created around the ancient "big guns" of Earth's AD era. At the time of their commissioning, they were the most powerful ships in the galaxy, and even with the commissioning of the Federation flagship Birmingham and the Lexington-class fleetcarrier, their sheer power has allowed them to continue playing a vital role in the Federal Forces. At the outbreak of the First Galactic War, Montana-class battlecruisers were among the ships that were targeted by Outer Power preemptive strikes due to their being commonly used as flagships by the Federation admiralty. Fortunately they were armed well enough to hold off against much of the enemy surprise attacks, but many of these battlecruisers were still sunk. From that point forward, the Montana-class would be a common sight in fleet scale battles, where their heavy firepower proved effective against both Zeon warships and mobile suits. However, as the war continued to progress, more and more of these ships would be lost, and by the time the war ends, only a handful of Montana-class battlecruisers would remain in operational status compared to large numbers that were in service at the beginning.